Confusing Terminology
Session 2
Beekeeping Terminology - some clarification
The terms Beehive, Swarm of Bees, Bees’ Nest and Bee Colony are commonly getting mixed up, also by beekeepers.
A Beehive is a purpose-built, man-made enclosure in which a colony of bees is kept by the beekeeper; commonly a wooden box.
A Bee Swarm is a congregation of a few thousand honey bees; it is that part of a Bee Colony which has split from their colony and has left their nest/hive in order to start a new colony - bees without any nest material (without combs).
A Bees’ Nest is a place or structure occupied by a Bee Colony in which they raise their young and store their food; the Bee Colony’s habitat.
When a Bee Colony has abandoned the Bees’ Nest what they leave behind is an empty Bees’ Nest - the bees are gone, the nest (combs with or without food) are still there.
Common symptom of Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD): Colony of bees are gone, the bees’ nest still exists, empty of bees, but often food stores remaining.
When a Feral Bee Colony has build their Bees’ Nest in a compost bin and is getting transferred (with the combs) into a Beehive, it is still the same Feral Bee Colony but now has its Bees’ Nest in a man-made Beehive.
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